Flying space ship toy



Sept. 7, 1965 o. CLINE 3,204,891

' FLYING SPACE SHIP TOY Filed Jan. 15, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l F-Ta?! y mas INVENTOR. ORV/LL E 01.. ave:

Sept. 7, 1965 o. CLlNE 3,204,891

FLYING SPACE SHIP TOY Filed Jan. 15, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ORV/ALE CLINE United States Patent 3,204,891 FLYING SPACE SHIP TOY Orville Cline, Baisden, W. Va. Filed Jan. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 251,657 Claims. ((11. 244-23) This invention relates to flying devices and, more particularly, to a vertical type flying device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a motor driven flying device which can be used for vertical take-off and landing maneuvers.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a self balancing heavier than air flying mechanism of generally spherical shape having depending landing legs for stabiliizing the device during take-off and landing.

Still an additional object of the present invention is to provide a flying device of the type described having a centrally disposed power plant and propellor for importing motion thereto.

A more general object of the invention is to provide an improved flying device which will produce a new and unusual results in this particular art.

These and still other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading and study of the following specification and claims, taken together with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are referred to and indicated by like reference characters appearing throughout the specification and drawings, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of a flying device made in accordance with one form of the-present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the unit shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in section, of the power plant of the assembly shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the assembly shown in FIGURE 1, showing the manner in which a launching yoke can be used for launching the assembly; and

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view, similar to FIGURE 2, illustrating a slightly modified form of the present invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, and more particularly to FIGURES 1 to 4 thereof, a flying device made in acordance with one form of the present invention is shown to include a fuselage of generally spherical configuration. While this device is primarily intended for use as a toy, it is to be understood that the general principles attributing to the flight characteristics of this mechanism can readily be applied to full scale flying machines.

The spherical fuselage includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart ribs 12 which maintains the shape of the outer covering 14 which is segmented by the ribs 12. The lower portion of the fuselage is provided with a circular opening 16, as is the upper end provided with a similar circular opening 18, both of such openings being concentric with a vertical longitudinal axis of the fuselage.

Each segment 14 of the upper portion of the fuselage is provided with a pair of neutralizing ports or apertures 20, as is the lower such of each segment of the fuselage provided with similar neutralizing ports or apertures 22. Each segment 14 is also provided with a stabilizing fin 24 that projects outwardly from the fuselage midway between the upper and lower extremities thereof. These stabilizing fins 24 are of generally triangular shape and being spirally curved upwardly in a clockwise direction. A plurality of hinged rods 25 are secured to stabilizer fins 24 and a weight 25A is secured to the end which provides centrifugal force means to adjust the pitch angle of fins 24 thus providing maximum stability to the ship ice in flight. With respect to the neutralizing ports located Within the top and bottom sections of the fuselage of the aircraft, it is pointed out that there is difference in air flow within and without the structure, and by means of these neutralizing ports the differences are minimized so that they are and become somewhat equal or neutral to each other. This is a well known feature and the fuselage is provided with neutralizing ports and the engine or flightproducing force is equalized through these apertures.

The lower extremity of the fuselage is also provided with a plurality of depending legs 26, one to each segment, for supporting the fuselage in an upright position for take-off and landing. At least one pair of the depending legs 26 is provided with apertures 28 for use with a launching mechanism, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

An engine 30 is mounted centrally within the fuselage by means of struts or braces 32 and is provided with a depending fuel tank 34. A yoke 38 is secured to the drive shaft 36 of the engine and the yoke has a transversely extending pin 40 which secures a propellor 44 thereto in a manner as to allow limited pivoting thereof during use. The pin 40 extends through the hub 42 of propellor 44 and allows for limited pivotal movement of the propellor blade during operation of the engine. The

propellor 44 is mounted upon the engine in a position above the horizontal central plane of .the fuselage.

For additional interest during use of the mechanism as a toy, a ground launching device 46 may be used which includes a pair of arms terminating in straight extensions 48 which may be slidably received within the apertures 28 in a pair of depending legs 26. The central portion of the yoke 46 is provided with an extension 50 to accommodate another one of legs 26, as shown in FIGURE 4. A length 'of flexible string or cable 52 is secured to this central portion 50, to facilitate the .disconnection of the launching device from the depending leg 26 during use. Once the engine has been started, the launching device 46 may be jerked laterally from its connnection to the flying device, thus freeing the flying device for vertical takeoff. Of course, the launching device 46 must be sufficiently heavy or connected to the platform to withstand the upward thrust of the craft after the engine has been started and before the launching has been retracted.

In FIGURE 5 of the drawing, a slightly modified form of the present invention is shown to include an assembly 60 which is substantially identical to that hereinbefore described, except that the skeletal framework 62 of the fuselage divides the fuselage into three main segments.

Each segment 64 includes an oval shaped neutralizing port 66 at the upper and at the lower halves of the fuselage. Three stabilizing fins 68 are provided, each being displaced from its associated port 66 in a clockwise direction. In addition, this form of the present invention includes three depending legs for supporting the fuselage during launching and take-off. An engine 70 is supported centrally Within a fuselage by means of braces 72 with propellor 74 lying in a plane above the horizontal central plane of the fuselage and concentric with the upper apertture 75 of the fuselage and the lower aperture thereof in a manner hereinbefore described.

In operation, the propeller rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, whereas the fuselage rotates slowly in a clockwise direction. The stabilizing fins, due to their spiral configuration, serve to stabilize the fuselage both in the direction of the movement and in the direction perpendicular thereto. As the fuselage rotates centrifugal force acting on the weights 25 swing outwards and upwards which automatically adjusts the pitch angle of the stabilizing fins.

It will now be clear that an improvement in this art has been provided which accomplishes the objectives here- 3 tofore set forth. While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form it is to be understood that the specific embodiment thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein is not to be considered in a limited sense as there may be other forms or modifications which should also be construed to come Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A flying device comprising, in combination, a fuselage of generally hollow spherical configuration, a plurality of depending legs suporting said fuselage in an upright position for take-01f and landing, said fuselage having axially aligned openings in the top and bottom thereof, an engine producing an air flow carried by said fuselage between said openings and having a propeller supported between said top and bottom openings of said fuselage in concentricity therewith, said fuselage having vertically spaced neutralizing ports communicating with said air flow with the interior and exterior thereof for generally tending to neutralize the dilference of interior and exterior air flows, and a set of stationary stabilizing fins mounted from and projecting outwardly of said fuselage to stabilize the flight of said fuselage along a line coincident with the central longitudinal axis of said fuselage and common to said axially aligned openings there-- of, said fuselage having a skeletal frame divided into a plurality of substantially identical segments around said diametrical axis, said stabilizing fins having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart identical triangular elements projecting radially outwardly from said fuselage in a generally central plane of said fuselage midway between said openings, said elements having ends being spirally bent and permanently curved upwardly in a clockwise direction for rotating the fuselage during flight, said neutralizing ports having a set of circumferentially spaced apart apertures in said fuselage above said central plane, and a set of circumferentially spaced apart apertures in said fuselage below said central plane, both of said sets of apertures being identical in number.

2. A flying device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said 4 propellor is mounted on a shaft upon said engine above said central plane.

3. A flying device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said fuselage includes four identical segments, each one of said segments including two upper apertures,-two lower apertures, one of said fin elements being symmetrical with said two upper and two lower apertures, and one of said legs depending from said fuselage between said two lower apertures.

4. A flying device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said fuselage includes three identical segments, each one of said segments including one upper aperture and one lower aperture, one of said fin elements projecting outwardly from each of said segment in a counterclockwise displaced position from said respective upper and lower apertures, and one of said legs depending from said fuselage in symmetry with one of said fin elements.

5. A flying device as set forth in claim 2, wherein each stabilizing fin includes hinged rods each having mounted on the end thereof a weight on said rod and arranged for generally encircling said fuselage and connected to the leading edge of said fins, said fins having flexible leading edges and, in flight, said weights swing outwards and upwards due to centrifugal force from said rotataing fuselage and thus automatically adjust the pitch angle-of the stabilizing fins by bending the leading edge upwardly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, FERGUS S. MIDDLETON,

Examiners. 

1. A FLYING DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FUSELAGE OF GENERALLY HOLLOW SPHERICAL CONFIGURATION, A PLURALITY OF DEPENDING LEGS SUPPORTING SAID FUSELAGE UPRIGHT POSITION FOR TAKE-OFF AND LANDING, SAID FUSELAGE HAVING AXIALLY ALIGNED OPENINGS IN THE TOP AND BOTTOM THEREOF, AN ENGINE PRODUCING AN AIR FLOW CARRIED BY SAID FUSELAGE BETWEEN SAID OPENINGS AND HAVING A PROPELLOR SUPPORTED BETWEEN SAID TOP AND BOTTOM OPENNGS OF SAID FUSELAGE IN CONCENTRICITY THEREWITH, SAID FUSELAGE HAVING VERTICALLY SPACED NEUTRALIZING PORTS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID AIR FLOW WITH THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR THEREOF FOR GENERALLY TENDING TO NEUTRALIZE THE DIFFERENCE OF INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR AIR FLOWS, AND A SET OF STATIONARY STABILIZING FINS MOUNTED FROM AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY OF SAID FUSELAGE TO STABILIZE THE FLIGHT OF SAID FUSELAGE ALONG A LINE COINCIDENT WITH THE CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID FUSELAGE AND COMMON TO SAID AXIALLY ALIGNED OPENINGS THEREOF, SAID FUSELAGE HAVING A SKELETAL FRAME DIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL SEGMENTS AROUND SAID DIAMETRICAL AXIS, SAID STABILIZING FINS HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED APART IDENTICAL TRIANGULAR ELEMENTS PROJECTING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID FUSELAGE IN A GENERALLY CENTRAL PLANE OF SAID FUSELAGE MIDWAY BETWEEN SAID OPENINGS, SAID ELEMENTS HAVING END BEING SPIRALLY BENT AND PERMANENTLY CURVED UPWARDLY IN A CLOCKWISE DIRECTION FOR ROTATING THE FUSELAGE DURING FLIGHT, SAID NEUTRALIZING PORTS HAVING A SET OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED APART APERTURES IN SAID FUSELAGE ABOVE SAID CENTRAL PLANE, AND SET OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED APART APERTURES IN SAID FUSELAGE BELOW SAID CENTRAL PLANE, BOTH OF SAID SETS OF APERTURES BEING IDENTICAL IN NUMBER. 